Final Fantasy 14 details Patch 6.5 ahead of Dawntrail expansion
Final Fantasy XIV has given details over what to expect in Patch 6.5 during Live Letter 78.
The latest Live Letter took place in front of a live audience at the 2023 Fan Festival in Las Vegas, where Dawntrail, the next expansion, was also announced for summer 2024.
Titled 'Growing Light', Patch 6.5 is expected to arrive in early October, while 6.55 is planned for mid-January 2024.
As expected, the new MSQ will be split into two parts, rolled out across Patch 6.5 and 6.55.
For 6.5, a screenshot was shown of Ryne and Zero side by side.
"While you wait, try to think about, 'Huh, I wonder what's going to happen when those two meet, and how did Zero get to the First in the first place'," producer Naoki Yoshida said via a translator.
The new dungeon is The Lunar Subterrane, a reference to an endgame dungeon found in Final Fantasy IV, and there will be a new trial.
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The third and final Myths of the Realm alliance raid, Thaleia, will also make its debut here.
The previous two, Aglaia and Euphrosyne, were well-received, so there are high hopes for this one.
"One thing people have really liked about the Myths of the Realm thus far is the really pretty maps that you fight on, so we've put a lot of effort into that this time as well," Yoshida said.
Speaking of alliance raids, with Patch 6.5, there will be newly-added item level restrictions for the alliance raid duty roulette. The idea is that this will prevent players from forcing only Crystal Tower raids by unequipping gear.
The change – which was met by huge cheers and applause from the crowd – hopefully means that everyone who queues up will have a slightly greater variety of raids through the roulette.
"This is sort of a balance change here," Yoshida said. "We've had some issues with the matchmaking in the alliance raids, and there may be some people who don't enjoy this change, but I think it will be for the best overall.
"I'm really happy [with the reception], I feel so understood as a developer that so many people are excited for this."
Maybe you won't be waiting for an hour if you're queuing up for a Nier alliance raid now.
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Another popular reveal for Patch 6.5 among the Fan Festival crowd was the ability to store optional glamour items in the armoire. We also have a new Unreal trial and Variant/Criterion Dungeon, while "minor" PvE adjustments to some jobs will be made.
Yoshida explained that they don't plan on making significant changes to the jobs with Dawntrail a year away.
"We obviously have 7.0 coming up, so we're not planning any major overhauls right at the moment," he said. "It's more an adjustment. Maybe the DPS is feeling a little weak, that sort of stuff, minor tweaks for now."
For Patch 6.55, players can expect to see new tribal alliance quests, more Hildibrand quests, and a new Custom Deliveries NPC.
Duty Support is also being rolled out for the last remaining MSQ dungeons.
In addition to Dawntrail and Patch 6.5 details, the Fan Festival also saw the announcement that Final Fantasy XIV is coming to Xbox.
Final Fantasy XIV is out now on PlayStation 5, PS4 and PC, with an Xbox version on the way. Dawntrail releases in summer 2024, while Patch 6.5 is expected in early October.
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